Kokoda

Paul Ham

Sep 2010 · Bolinda · Narrated by Peter Byrne

About this audiobook

In a unique and balanced portrayal, renowned journalist Paul Ham recounts both the Australian and Japanese perspectives of the events on the hellish Papuan jungle trail where thousands fought and died during World War II. It was a war without mercy, fought back and forth along 90 miles of river crossings, steep inclines and precipitous descents, with both sides wracked by hunger and disease, and terrified of falling into enemy hands. Defeat was unthinkable: the Australian soldier was fighting for his homeland against an unyielding aggressor; the Japanese ordered to fight to the death in a bid to conquer ′Greater East Asia′. Paul Ham captures the spirits of those soldiers and commanders who clashed in this war of exceptional savagery, and tells of the brave souls on both sides of the campaign whose courage and sacrifices must never be forgotten.

About the author

Paul Ham is the author of the highly acclaimed Kokoda and the Australia correspondent of the London Sunday Times. He was born and educated in Australia and lives in Sydney, having spent several years working in Britain as a journalist and publisher. Ham's Passchendale won the Douglas Stewart Prize for Non-Fiction at the 2018 New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards.

Peter Byrne has narrated many books for Bolinda including biographies, fiction and an extended series of Quarterly Essays. Peter has also narrated a considerable number of non-fiction works focusing on wartime conflicts and the military, encompassing Vietnam, the Middle East and Gallipoli. Peter divides his time between Melbourne and the Goldfields region of central Victoria.